On the Sesquicentennial of engineering and the 25th anniversary
of co-education at Union, President Roger Hull on Wednesday called on the College to
develop an innovative speakers forum on technology, terms abroad offerings which team
liberal arts and engineering students, and interdisciplinary courses that bridge liberal
arts and technology.
He also urged that the College “insure that women are truly equal
partners.”
Speaking at the Opening Convocation in observance of the College's 201st
year, Hull cited Union's history of innovation: modern languages, experimental sciences,
innovative financing, a planned campus.
He lauded the 150th celebration of engineering, adding, “what we
initiated in 1845, expanded during our Centennial in 1895 with the introduction of
electrical engineering, and sometimes feel uncomfortable with today must – and will – be
improved.” During the course of the year, he said, the College would unveil an
“Engineering Curriculum for the 21st Century” that is being developed with a
$750,000 grant from the General Electric Foundation.
Referring to the 25th anniversary of co-education, Hull lamented the
paradox that a historically innovative institution like Union did not admit women earlier.
“While we take great pride in 200 years of educating men and 150 years of providing a
first-rate education for aspiring engineers, we cannot be very proud of the fact that
today we are celebrating but 25 years of women on the campus,” he said.
“If liberal arts colleges are to maintain their honored place in
society, we must increasingly be sensitive to the need for change,” Hull said.
“Nowhere will change be more apparent in the first quarter of our third century of
service than in the makeup of our student body,” he said. There will be more
technologically-aware high school students with different learning styles, he continued,
and a cultural change that will accompany an increase of millions of students of color and
a corresponding decrease of millions of white students.
“As we think about what it is we should do, we must always remember
that we must take stands based on principle. We should insure, for example, that women –
especially on their eve of our 25-year celebration – are equal partners at Union. For far
too long women were invisible on this campus; for far too long, too, students of color
were equally invisible. We cannot afford either to overlook or look through anyone or to
allow any part of our society to remain invisible – not because it is expedient, but
because it is right.”
Also at the convocation, Jay E. Newman was invested as the R.
Gordon Gould Professor of Physics. Newman, a member of the faculty since 1978 and current
chair of the department, earned his B.S. degree from the City College of the City
University of New York, and his master's and Ph.D. from New York University. His areas of
specialization include light scattering and biophysics, and his teaching has ranged from
introductory courses to National Science Foundation honors courses for distinguished
teachers. The professorship was established by R. Gordon Gould '41, inventor of the laser,
to honor Professor Frank Studer.
The Phi Beta Kappa Award was presented to Sara Saltsman '98, with an
honorable mention to Laurie Kirschner '98. It was established by the Alpha chapter of New
York to honor a freshman for outstanding achievement in General Education.
The convocation also recognized Dean's List students, whose names appear
on a plaque at the Reamer Campus Center.